Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roy, UT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,272 in Roy, UT, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Roy, UT
🇺🇸 United States
$2,272
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Roy, UT and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Roy, UT and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,272 per month in Roy, UT vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Roy, UT $2,272
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,291 per month in Roy, UT vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Roy, UT $3,291
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,311 per month in Roy, UT vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Roy, UT $4,311
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Roy, UT costs about 89% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Roy, UT sits 68% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.07 $18.07
$10.86 MX$201
66.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.8 $73.8
$44.21 MX$817
66.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.94 $9.94
$11.76 MX$217
-15.48%
Cappuccino
$5.16 $5.16
$3.68 MX$68.0
40.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.34 MX$24.79
64.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 $1.67
$0.82 MX$15.24
103.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.84 $5.84
$3.06 MX$56.6
90.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.11 $8.11
$4.94 MX$91.2
64.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.62 $0.62
$1.47 MX$27.17
-57.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.66 $2.66
$2.22 MX$40.95
19.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.01 $4.01
$1.48 MX$27.32
170.95%
Eggs
$3.47 $3.47
$2.49 MX$45.99
39.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.82 $11.82
$7.52 MX$139
57.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.02 $12.02
$7.96 MX$147
51.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.81 $10.81
$12.57 MX$232
-14.00%
Apples (1kg)
$4.17 $4.17
$2.78 MX$51.3
50.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 $1.44
$1.43 MX$26.37
0.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.76 $3.76
$2.62 MX$48.37
43.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.07 $4.07
$2.14 MX$39.49
90.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.32 $2.32
$2.02 MX$37.38
14.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.99 MX$36.74
22.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.91 $1.91
$1.14 MX$21.01
67.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 $1.92
$1.20 MX$22.18
60.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.15 $10.15
$4.26 MX$78.7
138.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.03 $15.03
$10.02 MX$185
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 $2.64
$1.54 MX$28.41
71.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 $3.26
$2.66 MX$49.17
22.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 $2.05
$0.53 MX$9.73
286.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.14 $44.14
$27.51 MX$508
60.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.57 $2.57
$4.90 MX$90.6
-47.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.24 $2.24
$3.43 MX$63.5
-34.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.02 $13.02
$5.38 MX$99.4
142.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.45 MX$26.76
-28.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.3K $34.3K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
61.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K $26.3K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
14.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$192 $192
$85.4 MX$1,577
124.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$49.23 $49.23
$23.46 MX$434
109.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$80.2 $80.2
$28.43 MX$525
182.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.01 $42.01
$62.2 MX$1,149
-32.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.01 $15.01
$28.68 MX$530
-47.66%
Cinema Ticket
$10.85 $10.85
$5.10 MX$94.3
112.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,329 $1,329
$201 MX$3,715
560.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.0K $21.0K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
431.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.54 $39.54
$44.39 MX$820
-10.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.97 $24.97
$41.35 MX$764
-39.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.4 $89.4
$72.7 MX$1,344
22.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 $107
$89.6 MX$1,656
18.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,285 $1,285
$979 MX$18.1K
31.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,059 $1,059
$373 MX$6,887
184.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,733 $1,733
$1,681 MX$31.1K
3.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,648 $1,648
$1,095 MX$20.2K
50.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,753 $2,753
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-30.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,391 $2,391
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-61.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Roy, UT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.46
11.45
-43.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Roy, UT: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Roy, UT
$1.1K
Playa del Carmen
$373 64.8% $686
Groceries & Markets
Roy, UT
$348
Playa del Carmen
$258 25.7% $89
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Roy, UT
$321
Playa del Carmen
$137 57.3% $184
Eating Out
Roy, UT
$297
Playa del Carmen
$200 32.6% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Roy, UT
$117
Playa del Carmen
$112 4.7% $5.6
Getting Around
Roy, UT
$66
Playa del Carmen
$52 21.8% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Roy, UT
$64
Playa del Carmen
$72 13.6% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Roy, UT versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Roy, UT versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Roy, UT
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
04:51 4:51 AM
05:51 5:51 AM
1 h ahead of Roy, UT
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
39,306
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Roy, UT Playa del Carmen 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Roy, UT
  • Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Roy, UT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Roy, UT?
Yes – Roy, UT is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,408 per month in Roy, UT and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Roy, UT and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,272 in Roy, UT and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 89%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 60% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Roy, UT or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Roy, UT at $2,272. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roy, UT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Roy, UT or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Roy, UT or Playa del Carmen?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Roy, UT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Roy, UT vs other spots: cost of living compared

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